Blitzkrieg Pop: A study into the evolution of society’s perception of punk culture
Blitzkrieg Pop: A study into the evolution of society’s perception of punk culture
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3
Log ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Chapter One: Society, you’ve been punk’d! ................................................................................. 7
Chapter Two: Does God need to save the Queen anymore? ....................................................... 11
Chapter Three: Is Punk Becoming Junk? .................................................................................... 15
Conclusion................................................................................................................................... 18
Resource List............................................................................................................................... 20
Appendix ..................................................................................................................................... 27
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Blitzkrieg Pop: A study into the evolution of society’s perception of punk culture
Introduction
This project is a study of the evolution of society’s perceptions of the punk culture and
the mainstream impact on the subculture as it is seemingly becoming absorbed into the
mainstream culture. As a fan of punk music, I have witnessed fans of mainstream music
aligning themselves with the seemingly “indie” label of punk, wearing Ramones t-shirts
merely because their teen pop idols wore them and proclaiming that they themselves
were “punk rock”. I hypothesise that because society’s social and political views have
gradually become more liberal, they will reflect the values of the punk culture, therefore
rendering the subculture irrelevant and forcing it to either succumb to the transition into
the mainstream, or redefine itself as an alternative culture. Thus, perceptions of what it
is to be punk will change and no longer reflect the subculture’s status as a
counterculture in the 1970s.
To explore my hypothesis, I have chosen to undertake three primary methodologies:
questionnaires, content analysis, and a case study. To ensure that this study is
comprehensive, I have made sure that my research focuses on both those of the punk
culture and those not. My questionnaire was devised to obtain an insight into the
perspective of modern day teenagers who had little to no interaction with the punk
culture, with most of the respondents falling under the category of mainstream society
and so allowing me to gain an understanding of their perspective on the punk culture. In
order to research the punk culture today, I decided on content analysis of magazines and
zines, the latter being smaller versions of the former which were a well-known platform
for the punk culture during its beginnings. It was also interesting to find out that some
of these early publications now had official websites, in the vein of more modern
magazines, and so I included these websites into my research as well. For comparison, I
used the modern, alternative music magazine Blunt and zine, Punk. This methodology
allowed me to study the values and aesthetics of the culture, both early and modern
punk culture, and assisted me in understanding the representation of punk in today’s
society.
I also carried out a case study into 5 Seconds of Summer, an Australia band who have
been rejected by most people in the punk culture. My in-depth study focused on their
reception from the general public, including the punk sphere. This present-day case
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Blitzkrieg Pop: A study into the evolution of society’s perception of punk culture
allowed me to actively witness their involvement with the punk culture and success in
the mainstream as they brought ‘punk’ to the radio. None of these methodologies posed
any immediate ethical concerns that I needed to address.
This investigation has allowed me to broaden my knowledge of the punk culture and, by
extension, pop culture, the nature of countercultures and their relationship with society.
To a smaller extent, my research has also displayed how the progression of secularism
in society has played a major role in the degenerating of the punk culture.
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